London:
The Catalyst For Growth
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Introduction
A world-leading city for research excellence, innovation and commercial opportunity, London has the highest concentration of leading universities1 and leading pharmaceutical company research and development (R&D) locations in Europe2.
London is also home to more than 2,400 life science companies, making it the largest tech ecosystem on the continent3
As such, the capital is primed to pioneer the latest developments in life sciences, including in digital health, remote monitoring, new diagnostic approaches, advanced therapies, gene technologies and AI, with $2.9bn VC investment in London-based AI and machine-learning life science businesses to date4
In 2018 and 2019, University College London alone generated £9.9bn of economic impact in the UK, with research and knowledge exchange activities providing £4.1bn5. London's life science turnover has grown on average by 5.8% year on year in the past five years6, showcasing the city's flourishing life science environment and cementing its position as Europe's top destination to set up a life science business.
Read on to find out more about why London is a priority destination for Life Science.
By 2030, there will be an additional 6.2m sq ft of lab and office space dedicated to Life Sciences in London. That’s 2.5 times the space in Oxford and Cambridge’s combined science parks.
These developments will accommodate 80,000 direct jobs, which is more than the entire Life Sciences workforce of Sweden. By 2030, London’s economy will have contributed an additional £13.25bn to UK R&D spending, which is roughly equivalent to the cost of 3,300 phase I clinical trials.
Why London?
See how London compares to other European cities:
European Cities Comparison Graph: Relative Scores for European Cities by Metric Measured
London leads in Business Environment, Research and Development, Health Research and Investment Environment.
(Source: Life Sciences Global Cities Comparison Report, 2024)
No. 1
globally for health research environment
75,000
science and medicine students enrolled per year
£2.1bn
raised by life science AI and data companies to date
90
new life science spinouts and startups created in London each year
London is Europe’s leading destination for life sciences
London outranks all European cities in Business Environment, Research and Development, Health Research and Investment Environment, and is ranked the world’s third best city for life sciences7.
Business Environment
With more than 2,400 life science companies, competitive labour costs, high sustainability scores and lower operating risk, London provides unmatched ease of commercial operation, as well as ranking second globally for business environment after New York.
Research and Development
Driven by top-ranking universities including Imperial and UCL, and the leading volume of publications, London outranks other European cities for R&D as well as ranking second globally after Boston.
Health Research Environment
The UK has the fastest speed of phase 1 recruitment and regulatory approval, and is home to the UK Regulatory Agencey, the MHRA.
Investment Environment
Dubbed as Europe’s “life sciences financial capital”, London sees the highest number of investment rounds compared to any other EU city, as well as being home to more venture capital firms.
London is a prime destination for life sciences, from academia to bringing concepts into the clinic
A global hub for life sciences, London is home to world-class research institutions, including the Francis Crick Institute - Europe's largest biomedical research institute - and the Institute of Cancer Research, one of the largest phase 1 research centres in the world. Alongside world-class lab facilities, the National Health Service (NHS) provides longitudinal cradle-to-grave datasets for 65 million patients, making London a leading environment for digital health development. Since 2020, six unicorn life sciences companies have been founded in the UK, three of which are in London. This figure is higher than any other country in Europe, making London a proven ecosystem to grow and advance life sciences companies.
A top location for international students
London attracts a higher proportion of international students than any other city in Europe8 and offers the largest life sciences talent pool in the region9.
A city with unparalleled diversity
46% of London's population identifies as Black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic groups, meaning London is home to one of the world's most inclusive and representative clinical trial populations10.
A sector that sees year on year growth
London's life science sector turnover has increased by 5.8% on average year on year for the past five years11.
London life sciences spinouts thrive
London has seen 372 life sciences spinouts between January 2014 and January 2024, which have raised a combined £3.79bn12.
Excellent access to government resources and support
The UK government’s commitment to advancing life sciences research and development establishes London as a prime location for research innovation and growth. Thanks to an investment of £650m through the Life Sciences Strategy (a generous tax credit system) and lower corporation tax than any other G7 country, the UK government has laid the groundwork for the future of life sciences on a global scale.
London is a great place to live and work
London has earned a worldwide status as an unparalleled destination for living and working. The city’s vibrant culture, steeped in centuries of history, attracts world-renowned thinkers, creators and innovators. With 80 Michelin-starred restaurants and countless others to suit everyone's tastes, plus 850 art galleries, more than 790 combined festivals, theatres and music venues and 300 languages spoken, this bustling metropolis is full of passion, diversity and boundless opportunity.
Explore London's Life Sciences Sector
Eight life sciences districts span the city, with a location to suit every business need. Along with its vibrant social scene and multitude of theatres, art galleries, famous landmarks, restaurants and cafes, London is a world-leading city for living and working. Look at the sector map below to explore London's life sciences districts.
Case study #1
Recursion
How did MedCity (London & Partners) help you set up and grow your Life Science business in London?
The team was invaluable in helping us to set up a sustainable and successful UK and European headquarters. MedCity (London & Partners) has provided steady guidance, local contacts and expert advice around our opening announcement. On top of the public relations support, we deeply appreciate the guidance on UK laws and business matters.
What does Recursion do?
Founded in 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Recursion is a clinical-stage company leading the intersection of tech and bio (TechBio) by decoding biology to industrialise drug discovery. Since the beginning, Recursion’s vision has been to leverage technology to discover and develop better medicines faster.
Can you tell us some of Recursion's recent successes?
Recursion has secured some of the largest discovery collaborations in the industry with leading biopharma companies to pursue complex areas of biology, such as neuroscience with Roche/Genentech and precision oncology with Bayer. We have also secured technology partnerships with companies like NVIDIA and Tempus, focusing on accelerating the development of more powerful AI models.
What are Recursion’s plans for growth?
Recursion will continue pioneering advances in medicine at the intersection of technology and biology, building on London’s reputation as a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation. We are also eager to harness the power of London’s TechBio ecosystem to collaborate with leaders in the space, across both technology and biopharma industries as well as academic institutions.
We are excited to hire new "Recursionauts" who will help advance Recursion’s mission of decoding biology to radically improve lives.
It's critical we hire the best possible talent, much of which is located in Europe.
We're excited to continue growing in London and tap into the region's extraordinary talent pool.
Chris Gibson, Co-Founder and CEO of Recursion
Case study #2
AxialBridge
How did MedCity (London & Partners) help you set up and grow your Life Science business in London?
MedCity (London & Partners) has been instrumental in helping us navigate the life science and regulatory landscape in the UK, specifically in identifying key stakeholders and navigating pain points. In addition, helping us connect with industry associations has grown our network professionally and allowed us to establish our business here with ease.
What does AxialBridge do?
AxialBridge is a female-founded global life sciences advisory firm focused on clinical trial management, regulatory affairs and due diligence. Since landing in the UK from Canada in July 2022, we have had phenomenal success, achieving several milestone goals in a short timeframe.
How has London’s life science ecosystem contributed to the growth and success of AxialBridge?
London has provided us with excellent access to talent, especially those coming out of universities –established clinicians and researchers– as well as those who work in diversified fields in ancillary industries that support the wholesale growth of the life sciences industry. London has given us diverse clients, opportunities, and a continued growth model to expand into other areas.
Can you tell us some of AxialBridge’s recent successes?
Last year, in a significant step in AxialBridge’s development in the UK market, we signed an MOU and five-year service agreement with the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care (HRCs) to support the growth and commercialisation goals of the HRCs portfolio companies. In addition, our CEO, Jaspreet Grewal, was recently appointed as an expert-in-residence to the newly established London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE) at King’s College London, and AxialBridge is LIHE’s Global Commercialisation and Operational Partner.
What are AxialBridge’s plans for growth?
As we have several long-term contracts in London, we want to expand our physical presence by hiring additional staff to manage some of our operations. We are also keen to support more of our clients in London and foster increased innovation through collaboration with Canada and our other partners.
London is a vibrant ecosystem full of commercial opportunities, partnerships and collaborations. With the help of London & Partners, AxialBridge has established our company and quickly grew our network. Their assistance in helping us understand stakeholders and public vs private sector opportunities and connect us with commercial opportunities has been invaluable. We look forward to continuing to grow and scale our business in London with the help of MedCity and London & Partners.
Jaspreet Grewal, CEO & Co-Founder of AxialBridge
Latest sector developments
London’s life science sector makes a global impact. The UK capital is a catalyst for global change in life sciences research and advances in healthcare locally as well as worldwide.
350m invested by GSK headquartered in London to develop the world's first malaria vaccine candidate.
The LEAP study conducted at King's College London changed the guidelines for peanut allergy management on a global scale, with policy reversal in global public health strategies across the UK, EU and Australia.
Whitechapel Centre of the Cell is the first science education centre in the world to be located within working biomedical research laboratories.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK set up the world's largest and fastest clinical trial; led the sequencing of the virus genome; and developed diagnostics, treatments, and antivirals. London-based institutes such as Genomics England supported this.
Investigators at Great Ormond Street Hospital administered the first ever successful treatment for a previously incurable T-Cell Leukaemia using base-edited CD7 CAR-T therapy.
References
- Russell Group and QS World University Rankings, 2024
- MedCity research
- GOV.UK, Business incubators and accelerators: the national picture, 2017
- Medcity
- GOV.UK, Official statistics on the bioscience and health technology sector 2021 to 2022
- London Economics. Summary: The economic and social impact of UCL [PDF 672 KB]
- Life Sciences Global Cities Comparison Report, 2024
- Prospects
- Medcity
- GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures, 2022
- Calculated using data from the Bioscience and health technology sector statistics 2021-to-2022 report
- Beahurst, 2024